Kisumu based movie selected for prestigious Cannes Film Awards 2023
Bangarang, a movie based on real-life events and shot in Kisumu County, Kenya, was selected among 245 other films, screenplays, music videos and projects for the official selection at the Cannes Film Awards, 2023, held in Cannes, France.
2836 projects from 119 countries had submitted their works for selection and the list was narrowed down to 245.
The Cannes Film Awards will be held on June 19, 2023 to June 23, 2023.
According to prior Nairobi News reports, Bangarang is based on true events surrounding the 2017 post-election violence in Kisumu and the death of Baby Pendo, who was killed in an instance of police brutality in the 2017 General Election.
The synopsis of the film is that Otile (David Weda), a poor boda boda rider (public service motorcycle operator) is still jobless 10 years after graduating with a Second Class Honors Degree in Automotive Engineering.
When violence erupted in Kenya in 2007 over the disputed presidential election results in Kisumu, Otile led rioters to the streets. To him, this is the only opportunity to vent his anger regarding the Government’s poor leadership, which he holds responsible for his prolonged unemployment.
Following its worldwide screening in 195 countries worldwide, Bangarang was selected for the 28th edition of the Film Festival -Panafrican Film & Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso, in January 2023.
Mr. Odongo Robbie Wuodcaro, the movie’s Kisumu-based Writer and Director, received this news with jubilation, saying this was the best way to begin a new year for him. Bangarang screened alongside 169 other films selected from over 1,200 submitted from 35 African countries.
“I wrote this Story in 2017 from my very personal experiences. Since 2007, I have been in the middle of several Post-Election Violence at my home in Manyatta, near Kondele, in Kisumu County. In 2007, I lost friends who police shot. In 2013, while trying to avoid the chaos, I had a near-fatal accident that left me scarred. Then in 2017, when police beat Baby Pendo, I worked nightshift in Aga Khan Hospital. I saw her in ICU before she succumbed,” Mr Odongo told the media.
Bangarang was released in December 2020 and is an internationally-acclaimed movie with over 30 Awards and Selections.
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